New York Renaissance Home and Guest House

This is the worst guesthouse I have ever stayed in! My husband and I always go to NYC one of the first 2 weeks in December. This is the first time we have ever stayed in a B & B/​guest home in NYC (if this is what you want to call it). We noticed that the first week in December is pricier than the 2^nd week, because of that I thought it would be fun to try a guesthouse/​B & B. Just the ‘term” guesthouse «suggests» a more personal interaction with staff/​owner. That is absolutely NOT the case here. I had called the day before to let Felicia know that we would be arriving around midnight because I read reviews where this had been a problem. She thanked me for calling and said the reason there was a problem with the other reviewer is because they had not contacted her and would I please post a review saying so. She emailed me information so we could enter the guest home via a keypad. No problem except it was so dark (not one light on at the entrance and a VERY dark street) I couldn’t read the directions and had to ring the doorbell. She came out in a waffle robe and PJ’s, (it WAS after midnight, I get it) yelling «who is it?» I repeated 2 times and she yelled, «I sent you the directions, why didn’t you use the keypad?» I replied, «It’s too dark to read the directions». That being said, she let us in, told us,” your room is on the 4^th floor and the key is in the door, bathroom is on the same floor”. So… no walking us up to the room, checking to see if we had everything, what time is breakfast… she went back to her room. End of conversation! When we arrived in our room, after lugging our luggage up 4 floors (we are VERY light packers), being careful not to hit the furniture placed along the way of this very narrow, dark stairs, we found a very dingy room with very shabby furniture and bedding. The only thing good was the bathroom was a few feet away. No drapes were ever drawn for light in the common areas the whole time we were there. It was very dark and depressing throughout. We found a sitting area on the first floor after you pushed passed a stack of plastic storage boxes. Not one light was on and all drapes closed, not inviting at all. We asked for additional pillows two days in a row and never got them.
Thought our stay included a «cold» breakfast”, she said we had not opted for the breakfast and that the Irish couple staying at the guest home were the only ones who had asked for the breakfast option. She said that she was NOT cooking for only two people so she gave them a voucher for a restaurant up the way. We thought the bathroom with shower and tub was for our floor only and then found out it is the only full bathroom for ALL 6 bedrooms! My husband needed the bathroom one day, the bathroom close to our room was occupied, no telephone or way to contact Felicia to figure out where another bathroom was (we had never been shown where additional facilities were)…he went outside to ring the doorbell to get her attention. She yelled again and showed him a little half bath off of the dining room. Not sure why she is in a people business because this is the worst service we have ever had!

They double charged me and then cancelled my reservation– 4 days before my stay! Horrible business– no customer service. They would not answer the phone and then expedia called and they hung up on them saying they were busy checking people in. Poor customer service

My fiancé and I spent four nights here at the New York Renaissance Home and Guest House at the beginning of September. We booked through
, and arranged to be able to drop our bags in the room to allow us to get started exploring the city without having to lug them around. The cleaning lady we met was the only employee of the guest house that we saw in the entire time we were there!
The room itself is quite cozy, save for the fact that NYC in early September can be ridiculously hot. Our room, the piano room, did have an air conditioner, but we were advised that if we wanted to keep it on to keep the room cool for our return, there would be a $ 30 charge for hydro. Our hydro bill at home is $ 90 for the month, I don’t know where this $ 30 figure comes from, but we found the room cooled quickly. The rest of the hotel, though was quite hot and humid.
No one staying there during our stay opted for breakfast, so the dining room was unused for the duration of our stay. This contributed for the lack of need for hotel staff. If you don’t book breakfast ahead of time, you are advised by hotel staff of two options in the area for a discounted breakfast. I would advise taking the train south to 110^th street to check out Tom’s Restaurant, known to Seinfeld fans as the exterior of the diner seen on the show. An ample breakfast for two with generous helpings cost us $ 15.
The bathroom situation can be tricky. The only full bathroom is located on the fourth floor, so it’s quite a hike, especially if you’re walking through the city a lot. It’s especially a hike if you’re climbing those flights of stairs, only to find another guest in the bathroom. Keep in mind, when sharing the bathroom, you’re at the mercy of the bathroom habits of other people. Some may not be as mindful of the fact that others are waiting.
While the hotel offers WiFi, we found it to be quite unreliable, with the signal dropping often. An e-​mail to Felicia got the matter resolved… which tells me that she IS on-​site, but hidden somewhere?
The air conditioner in the Piano Room is in a window, which is blocked by a large armoire, which we didn’t use. Guests are strictly forbidden from touching the piano, so the room taken up by the piano would probably be better used by moving the armoire and removing the piano. Or, perhaps moving the air conditioner to a window where it is not blocked?
The best way this hotel could improve would be to renovate and have another bathroom installed. With six rooms, two guests per room, one bathroom is not enough for twelve people to share.

This place has so much potential if it wasn’t for Felicia. The owner Felicia was hot and cold. We could not get a hold of her for more than ½ hour at 11:00pm when we arrived despite the advance notice of a late check in via email and phone call. When we did get a hold of her she seemed annoyed that we couldn’t find the door key pad to get in. It was our first time in NY almost pitch black dark. Would have been helpful if the directions were emailed to us prior to our visit which would have benefited both parties. Felicia put us in two separate rooms when we PAID for the Emory suite the first night which I didn’t get reimbursed for. While we were out for the day they moved all our stuff to the suite but left some clothes and a phone charger in the other rooms. When we finally were able to go to the other room to retrieve our items she acted like it was our fault we left it their. We seen her maybe 2 times since we were there and half the time she was somewhat rude. But maybe that part is just NY lifestyle I don’t know, I’m from Cali. Felicia didn’t even offer to accommodate us for her mistakes intentional or unintentional.
Nelly was the best, she cooked every morning for us. Hot homemade good food and she treated us like family. She was professional and respectful. If it wasn’t for her i would have checked out the very next morning.
Where’s my apology Felicia?

Was supposed to stay here thanksgiving weekend, I had paid upfront and received an email two weeks prior to my arrival asking if I had any special requests. I replied confirming my ETA and asking if there was a gym nearby as I wanted to work out on arrival to avoid jet lag the next morning. I never received a response, I assumed they had forgotten so there were no hard feelings.
I arrived late Wednesday evening as scheduled. Unfortunately there was no answer at the guest house so I stood outside trying to phone them, there was no answer and a recorded message stated that the mailbox was full so I was unable to leave a message. I walked up and down the street to ensure I had the correct house and I certainly did. Whilst walking I asked three separate people, two of which lived on that block, if they knew of the guest house and they were unaware of its existence.
After around 20 min I noticed two dodgy looking men at the corner watching my movements, this made me feel very vulnerable in an area I’m not familiar with. The area made me feel very uncomfortable and the guest house looked quite scruffy so I decided to get in a cab and head downtown to a nicer part where I could feel safe and luckily found a great hotel near Columbus Circle.
When I got to the hotel around 10pm, I logged into my emails and emailed the guest house asking what the situation was. I received a response the following day after I had paid for my second night in the better hotel. The email suggested there was someone there awaiting my arrival but I hadn’t rang the bell. By this point I had no intentions to return there.

Loved this place! I stayed here with my sister during a recent trip to NYC. I thought it wasn’t possible to get a rat-​free room in Manhattan for less than $ 170 a night until I stumbled across this little gem. Of course, it’s a bed and breakfast in a historic home, so it’s missing some of the comforts of a modern hotel (like elevators), but it also comes with some awesome extras (like a multiple course hot breakfast served to you on fancy china included every morning!). All in all, the staff were friendly and helpful, the rooms are wonderfully decorated in accordance with this historic home. I felt like I’d been transported back to the 1920s. In addition, a subway station is just a few blocks away, allowing for easy access to downtown and Lower Manhattan. One thing to keep in mind when booking a room: this is a bed and breakfast, so only select rooms come with a private bath. That said, there are enough bathrooms in the place to go around and everything is kept squeaky clean. I would absolutely reccommend the New York Renaissance Home to anyone travelling on a budget or anyone who’d like a more authentic tourist experience while visiting NYC.